Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “lous” come from?

lous (Middle English) comes from Old English lūs, from West Germanic *lūs, from Germanic *lūs, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

lous (Middle English): louse; A person or thing worthy of contempt or...

Definitions

  1. louse; A person or thing worthy of contempt or...

Ancestry of “lous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlūs—
2West Germanic*lūs—
3Germanic*lūs—
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

Words derived from “lous”

  • loose
  • loosely
  • loosen
  • looser
  • loosing
  • looseness
  • louse
  • footloose
  • looseleaf
  • woodlouse
  • unloosen
  • loosey
  • looseth
  • lousewort
  • loosener
  • delouse
  • loosies
  • louseborne
  • footlooseness
  • looseneth
  • loosish
  • delouser
  • loosie
  • overloose
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →